September 11, 2009 - - “I was a driver and now I’m the CEO,” Art Leahy, told a group of 26 students at the recent Metro graduation. “I’m living proof your career opportunities don’t have to stop at the operator position.”

Leahy, speaking to the September 11 graduating class at Metro’s downtown headquarters, encouraged them to excel in their new pursuit to become operators with the promise that his company would reciprocate by offering them broad opportunities to excel if they chose to move upward.

Tyree Wieder, interim chancellor of the Los Angeles Community College District echoed these thoughts, comparing her road to the top to that of Leahy’s. “I share something in common with Art,” she told the group. “I started as a student at a community college years ago and worked my way up.”

The two-week training stressed teamwork and career advancement through lifelong learning and a commitment to the job. Continuing to adjust to the changing needs of Metro, Los Angeles Valley College and their project partners were able to make the training more robust, increasing the training hours and the chance of success for the participants.

Bridge training encompasses over 70 hours of contextualized customer service skills, training for transit careers, and lifelong learning skills such as time management, study, and test taking strategies.

Tony Jaramillo, senior field representative for Job Training, speaking at a meeting following the graduation, said, “ I’m very proud of the combined efforts of our partners. The change in this class shows the flexibility of Job Training to modify our approach to better prepare individuals for success. I look forward to hearing the many successful outcomes from this class. “